Middle School
At Waldorf we want our students to be good at life.
Adolescence is a complex and challenging time. In middle school, the students move to the top floor of the school, and the curriculum evolves to accommodate the students' growing need for truth, along with an awareness of their own strengths and talents.
At this phase, the main lesson, art, music, languages, and practical arts are still fundamental, but we layer in band, electives, and organized athletics. These new programs not only allow for intermingling across grades, but also present students with new opportunities to follow their interests, take on new experiences, and expand relationships with new peers. Our lessons integrate the concepts of independent thinking, inner resources, imagination, and a sense of social responsibility.
Throughout middle school, students are preparing to transition from Waldorf to other learning styles by building academic and scholarly pursuits. The search for truth in any branch of knowledge is rooted in a sense of wonder. We don't know what the future looks like, but we know that developing the whole-child as a free-thinking individual will prepare our students for life.
There is still a place for wonder and gratitude.
Grade 7
Middle School students begin their Grade 7 journey with a strong sense of curiosity and wonder. This is clearly reflected in the themes of inner and outer awakening and exploration in the anchor studies of the Renaissance and Age of Exploration.
Grade 8
In Grade 8, students are encouraged to form opinions, take positions, and assume responsibility for themselves in the wider community. The revolutionary spirit of their age is reflected in the investigation and study of historical rebellions and transformations. Students take up the challenge of both a year-long independent study in their Grade 8 Project, and Shakespeare in their class play.
Grade 9
In Grade Nine, the students focus on activities within the greater community that help to develop capacities for connection to the wider world through service and work, and to the self through intellectual challenges, imaginative thinking, and reflection. In their final year at CWS, the focus on refinement and reflection is mirrored in the historical studies of drama and art that examine the complex and intellectual ideas of the development of human thought.
Electives
Electives vary from year-to-year depending on the interests of the students. We bring in outside experts to teach subjects like cooking and nutrition, guitar, fencing, improv, yoga, boxing, and animation. The possibilities are endless.
Sports Program
Waldorf Olympians
As a member of the Calgary Independent Schools Athletic Association, all Middle School students are invited to participate in seven extracurricular team sports. There are no try-outs or cuts; our program is based on participation and skill development.
